Of Human Nature
by Arteme
Summary: Human nature is ever-changing, fickle and undeniably passionate, whether that passion be hate, love or friendship. About the trails and tribulations that protaganists and antagonists of Inuyasha alike go through, and how such trials are overcome.
1. Prelude to Sorrow

_**Prelude to Sorrow**_

Kagome smiled contentedly at Inuyasha as they walked through a thick forest. It had been peaceful ever since Kagome had returned from taking an exam in her own era. No demons had attacked recently and Kikyou had not appeared. Kagome was merely happy to be standing beside Inuyasha in the forest along Miroku, Sango, Kirara and Shippou back in the feudal era, an era in which she was beginning to feel as if she belonged.

It was odd now that she thought of it. For so long she had felt uncomfortable and even worthless in the feudal era. She did not have the strength of the others and the only merit she had was her ability to see the Shikon no Tama shards, however, it had dawned up her when she was talking to her friends back in her era that she did not truly belong there any longer. Things seemed too peaceful and superfluous. Life was monotonous and boring, and there everything seemed less genuine. Her friends back there could not begin to comprehend the bonds she had with Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and all of the others just as Hojo could never understand what Inuyasha was to her and how much she loved him with all of her heart. That was what had made her realized that she was beginning to _belong_ here, in a dangerous world full of wild beauty and strange savagery.

"The forest seems very quiet today," Miroku observed, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Eh?" Inuyasha responded, quirking an eyebrow. "I didn't notice."

Miroku rolled his eyes. "That's because your powers of observation are seriously lacking. If you can't smell it, you don't notice it. That's your problem Inuyasha."

Inuyasha turned his head to glare at Miroku, who was walking a little bit behind Inuyasha and Kagome. "I resent that you perverted monk!" He shouted indignantly while continuing to glare at Miroku. In fact, he was so busy glaring at Miroku that he walked straight into a tree branch and gained a large lump on his head. "OUCH! DAMN IT, THAT HURT!"

Miroku sniggered. "I rest my case, you rely too much on that nose of yours."

Inuyasha rubbed his head. "That was your fault Miroku, I—" he cut off suddenly. "I smell…" He quickly pushed Kagome out of the way and ran off into the forest. Kagome fell into the underbrush and hit a strange prickly plant. She stood up quickly and brushed herself off, but not before she notices a large rip in the sleeve of her shirt, probably due to the bush. Kagome began to stomp off after Inuyasha but Miroku grabbed her hair. 

"Lemme go!" Kagome yelled.

"Nope. Kagome, there's no point in you going off after him. You'll never be able to catch up, you'll only get lost. Let's just wait here for him." Miroku said as he let go of her hair.

Sango smiled at Kagome. "Don't worry, I'm sure he didn't mean to rip your shirt Kagome."

Kagome sighed. "I know he didn't," she responded, "I just don't like how he always rushes off without me and treats me like a liability or a weakness."

"I think he' s trying to show he cares, " Sango said dryly.

"I wish he would do a better job of it," Kagome muttered angrily under her breath.


	2. Jealousy

_**Jealousy**_

Kikyou sat serenely beside the still pond, the epitome of beauty and grace. By now Inuyasha would have caught her scent, by now he would be hurtling haphazardly through the forest in a rush to get to her. Soon she could cast her spell upon him, and then Kagome would never have him.

She hated the girl. Kagome. Her reincarnation. The one that Inuyasha loved. Kikyou was strong enough to admit to herself that Inuyasha loved that girl more. She could admit it, but she was unwilling to accept it. Her hatred and desperation had driven her to create something that could make Inuyasha forget about Kagome and see only her. A love potion. A mind-altering drug.

Kikyou's smile was twisted as she waited for him to come to her. 

The crashing underbrush was a definite sign that Inuyasha was coming. Kikyou let herself relax and clamed her rapidly beating heart. Kikyou felt nervous, and that bothered her. It was only Inuyasha.

"Kikyou." He said, his voice breathless and filled with the same remorse that he consistently displayed when he was near her. "Kikyou, why are you here?"

She didn't even respond to his interrogation. She went over and slowly wrapped her arms around him. It came as a complete shock to him as she kissed him brutally, distributing the mind-altering drug into his body without his knowledge. "Hello Inuyasha, I'm so glad you came to see me. Just seeing you makes me happy."

The rational part of Inuyasha's mind told him that Kikyou would never behave in such a manner, but nothing else about Inuyasha was rational at that moment. The love spell took effect immediately and remorselessly. His heart began to beat faster as he began to see Kikyou in a new light. His ever-conflicting emotions concerning Kikyou and Kagome shifted drastically in Kikyou's favor at that moment. However, it was on a subconscious level, so Inuyasha's coherent mind was unable to grasp what was happening to him, although his heart seemed to have understood well enough.

Seeing the look of longing in his eyes Kikyou knew that her terrible spell had taken effect. She felt arms that been hanging limp at his suddenly tighten around her as his eyes filled with tears of love. "Kikyou, Kikyou, _never_ leave my side again. I promise I'll protect you, so please come with me."

Kikyou struggled to suppress the cruel glee she felt welling up inside of her. That girl, Kagome, would suffer.

* * *

Kagome glared fiercely at the darkening sky through the tree branches. Inuyasha had been gone for a very long time. A very long time. Long enough for midday to become evening. Long enough for the warm spring day to become a cool spring night. Long enough to make her irrationally angry.

Shippou, Miroku, and Sango had wisely kept themselves away from the glaring girl. Now a merry fire was built and crackling happily while Miroku and Sango stared at each other from opposite ends of the fire. Sango alone with her painful memories of Kohaku and Miroku thinking of the ever-widening kazaana in his hand. Shippou looked between the three of them trying to think of a way to ease their pains, but there was nothing that he could do. All he could do, all her could _ever_ do was sit and wait quietly, unable to intrude into their private worlds of pain.

Kagome sighed, breaking the uncomfortable silence so unlike that which had reigned earlier that day. Miroku looked at her with an understanding expression as he walked over and gave Kagome a pat on the head. "It's okay Kagome, he'll be back, don't worry." Kagome's glare only became more furious as the hand that wasn't patting her head began sliding lower and lower down her back.

"Miroku, would you please remove your hand?" Kagome asked.

"What er…what do you mean?" Miroku said innocently.

"What I mean is that you're about to…" *THWACK!!!* Kagome winced inwardly as Sango brought the large tree branch she had found of the forest floor down on the hapless monk's head.

"Stop grouping her." Sango's voice was chilly. "Is that all you ever think about?"

Miroku smiled mysteriously "That's certainly not all that I think about." *THWACK* Sango brought the stick down again. 

Kagome was beginning to think that Miroku might pass out if he continued to take such abuse from Sango, not that he didn't deserve it, but she felt that it might be better if he wasn't _terribly_ injured. "Uh, Miroku, it might be a good idea if you don't talk for a while," She suggested meekly to the perverted monk as Shippou chorused his agreement.

Sango glared at Miroku coldly. "Yes, houshi-sama, it might be best if you listen to Kagome." She brandished her tree branch menacingly. "I don't think any of us are in the mood for your—" A rustling in the underbrush cut her off. They all turned quickly, prepared to defend themselves against anything it could possibly be.

Kagome felt the adrenaline rushing through her veins. Her heart was pounding so fast that she felt as if it might explode. The rustling grew stronger and Kagome clutched her bow grimly, willing herself to hold on to it. Finally a dog-like ear burst through the underbrush, followed by a pair of golden eyes and then finally the rest of Inuyasha. "Inu—" she began, but then, grasping his hand, emerged someone else from the underbrush. Kikyou. 

Kagome's rapidly beating heart was suddenly very still.

* * *

Disclaimer: the people/places/things in Inuyasha do not belong to me in any way, shape, or form.

Note: I decided that it would be easier writing if I did not use honorifics, however, I have made a few exceptions. Since it is significant to the plot Sango will call Miroku "houshi-sama" which means "lord monk" and Naraku will be called "Naraku-sama" by his minions ("Lord Naraku") This fic is going to be pretty long, and the chapter lengths will vary greatly in length. Aside from the first chapter, this is probably one of the shorter ones.


	3. Pretenses

_**Pretenses**_

Naraku smiled grimly as he stared through the looking glass at his beautifully intricate web of deceit. He had tried to quell the jealous feelings raging inside of him but the feelings were too strong. He could deny it. He wanted Kagome.

He wanted Kagome just as Onigumo had wanted Kikyou so long ago. It was an undeniable attraction. Every time he gazed into her clear, pure eyes through the looking glass he felt strange feelings that consumed him. Every time he had attacked them he had looked into her eyes and found her beautiful soul staring straight back at him, unafraid. She was so different from the fragile Kikyou who had been broken so easily. He wanted to make her his.

And of course, whatever Naraku wanted he received, no matter what lengths he had to go to in order to get it.

It had been easy, really. A few subtle whispers in Kikyou's embittered heart had driven her to such lengths to hurt Kagome. To take Inuyasha and make him hers. It had been so easy for him to augment Kikyou's power enough so that she would have a spell strong enough, and with the correct amount of time, the correct amount of lies and half-truths, Kagome would be his, and no longer would she look at him with such hatred and contempt, such fearless defiance. She would look at Inuyasha with that gaze.

Naraku's smile was cruel and sadistic as he called Kagura to him. It was time for the final shove, as well as making sure some of his other plans came to fruition.

* * *

Kagome only had to look at Inuyasha's eyes to know what he was about to say. She knew very well and didn't want to hear a word of it. Trying to act casual she relaxed he posture and dropped her bow. "It's about time you got back Inuyasha. We've been worried about you," she said with a disgustingly false smile.

Inuyasha gave her a dismissive glance. "You have?"

Kagome felt her heart leap into her throat at that moment. "Yeah, we were all very worried about you."

"Sure." He shrugged and turned his back on her to address Miroku and Sango. "Well, problem solved. I found the perfect ally for us, and she's agreed to come with us."

Miroku looked at him blankly while Sango's face grew indignant. "Aren't you going to even apologize to poor Kagome for running off and making her worry like that! Actually, you should apologize to us all. You delayed that search for the Shikon no Tama by a day!"

A hollow, ethereal voice echoed from out of nowhere. "I hate to tell you this, since your reunion was so utterly heart-warming, but it won't matter at all that you've lost a day, considering that you're about to lose your lives."

Kagura appeared out of nowhere with a sadistic smile on her face. "It's time to die, but wait, not yet. I have a few messages."

She went over to Miroku and whispered something in his ear. Miroku's eyes grew wide as his face paled drastically. Then she came to Kagome and whispered something equally short and apparently equally disturbing in her ear. It was then Sango's turn. Sango did not pale. She did not look shocked. All she did was clench her fists as her eyes filled with tears.

Kagura looked at their stricken expressions as her smile widened. Those were the kinds of reactions that Naraku wanted, the expressions of people whose dreams had been shattered. She had accomplished what she needed to do, now all that was left was the final shove that would ruin the poor girl's life.

"Inuyasha, prepare to die." Kagura said as she began her strike. Wind blades hurtled at him frighteningly fast. He barely managed to get the Tetsusaiga out of it's sheath. One whisked by him, cutting deeply into his shoulder.

"Kikyou, get away from me before you get hurt!" He screamed. Kikyou looked at him calmly and then when over to stand beside him. She gave him a gentle hug at then grabbed his hands from behind with her own.

"Don't try to fight without me, I am strong enough. I am not weak. I do not need to be protected like some defenseless child. Please, Inuyasha, let us combine our powers together. Our love is strong enough. We _can_ defeat her." Kikyou said most of this for Kagome's "benefit". Such words were ludicrous to her own ears. She did not love him any longer. She _could_ no longer love anyone. Just the same, she could not let him love anyone else.

Kagura let their touching little reunion continue since this served her purposes, although she knew what the consequences would be. Naraku had told her himself. She was going to die. He had told her that he full expected her to die, and that if she didn't die he would kill her himself. Kagura grimly accepted such a fact and prepared herself for her final attack. She gathered in all of her power and released it, but not against Inuyasha and Kikyou.

She followed Naraku's orders to the letter.

She released the devastating blast at Kagome.

* * *

Disclaimer: Once again let it be known that the people/places/things of Inuyasha are in no way, shape or form mine.

Note: Thank you everyone for reviewing my fanfic. This is the first time that I have ever written one and I wasn't quite sure how it would be accepted. Thank you very much for the support ^_^ As for when this takes place…um…I have not clue…somewhere between volume 16 and volume 36 T_T, I wouldn't worry about it, it's not too important when it takes place. Okay, I lied. My chapters will be pretty short, since I keep finding good ways to end them ^_^


	4. Falling Apart

_**Falling Apart**_

Kagome saw the blast coming. She saw Inuyasha and Kikyou standing but a yard away, and she knew that if he had cared enough that he could have saved her from it. She stared at the oncoming blast with a kind of sick curiosity, wondering what it would be like to be ripped to shreds like a rag doll. She found it very difficult to care. A strange apathy had taken over her consciousness ever since Kikyou had spoken those devastating words to Inuyasha. _Their love can do anything_, she thought sadly. _The love of Kikyou and Inuyasha. That love can do_ anything. She had thought it and then immediately let the apathy take over. She tried to distance herself form what she knew was true. She didn't want to admit that she had lost. She would rather let herself die.

It seemed to take eternity for the blades of enchanted wind to reach her. Kagome almost couldn't stand the waiting as it all went by in slow motion. She anticipated the pain of those blades of wind ripping into her skin. She fell to her knees. She closed her eyes and waited as rain began to pour from a previously clear sky.

That's why it came as a shock to her when Sango's Hiraikotsu hurtled in front of her, blocking the majority of the brutal onslaught. "Kagome, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?" She yelled as the remainder of the wind blades cut into Kagome's arms.

Kagome looked at Sango blankly. _I was thinking that I want to die_, she wanted to say, but she didn't. All she did was smile at Sango and say "I'm sorry."

Sango gave her a curious look, but there was no time to respond. "Inuyasha, slice her with the Tetsusaiga!" Sango called to him desperately.

Inuyasha glanced at her. "I was already on it! Kaze no Kizu!" He swung the sword with all of his strength, severing Kagura's body in half.

Kagura felt it as her stomach was sliced in half. She felt it as her entrails pulled apart. She felt it as her mind began to darken with death. She felt it: sadness.

I was not sadness at leaving this world, nor was it remorse at what she had done. She did not feel her usual hatred for Naraku, nor did she feel any dislike of Inuyasha. Her mind held only one thought: _I wish I could have seen him one more time…_

Kagome watched Kagura die with mixed feelings. Kagura had been an enemy, and a bitter one at that. She had done so many terrible things to them. It was unforgivable. Yet, as Kagura's torn body fell to the ground Kagome could not help but feel pity for her, and as Kagura whispered her last, Kagome felt a surge of pity.

"Shes-shou-ma-ru."

It occurred to Kagome this could some day be her, lying on the ground, dying, with nothing but an unrequited love. Kagome had to look at Kagura in a new light. They were so alike. To think that they both had an unrequited love. To think that they both had emotions that strong. Kagome felt a pang of regret as Kagura breathed her last. It was so sad and yet she could do so little. Kagura may have had human feelings and she may have felt love, however, Kagome could feel nothing more than a pang of regret. Vengeance is as much a part of human nature as empathy.

A distant buzzing in the distance brought Kagome back to reality. They all recognized the sound of Naraku's Saimyoushou. They descended from the heavens to gather Kagura's shattered body. Kagome knew that they would be sent back to Naraku, but for what reason she did not know.

She tried not to think at that moment. She didn't want to move from where she had fallen. Blood coursed down her arms in warm rivulets. The pain held her grounded in a reality she did not want to be in.

Kikyou and Inuyasha.

Kikyou stood there, her eyes still ablaze with exhilaration at the death of one of her foes. Inuyasha stood with his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her tight to him. Kagome didn't want to see that. She didn't want to see that woman in Inuyasha's arms.

_Don't let this be_, she prayed silently to whatever god might be listening, _don't let this be!_

Sango saw the desperation in her friend's face. She knew what Kagome had endured better that anyone else. She knew of the sacrifices that she had made. Sango had heard her at night, sobbing. Sobbing for Inuyasha, and the love that she didn't believe that she could ever have, and now she was fallen on the ground, holding back tears. Shoving aside her own pain, Sango reached out a hand to comfort her, but it was too late. Kagome was already running away, off into the forest, alone, into to pouring rain.

* * *

Disclaimer: NOT MINE!!! (though I wish they were!) *cries*

Note: I just wanted to say why I was writing this thing. Okay, so I love Inuyasha, and I love EVERYONE in Inuyasha with the exception of Jaken, because it (I refuse to give it a gender) is annoying and needs to die (I also dislike those random creepy and ugly bad guys that pop up, do something evil, and are never seen again, but we're talking main characters here). If anyone happens to read this and dislikes the characterization of anyone, or what happens to them, I am extremely sorry. I'm writing this because I wanted to have fun with the Inuyasha cast, and this seemed the best way to do it! ^_^


	5. Running Away

_**Running Away**_

It had happened again.

The rain fell in a violent downpour as Kagome sat alone in the dark, dank forest nestled against a gnarled, old, dead tree. A battle had taken place there earlier in the day. The only casualty had been Kagura. She had not expected for Kagura to be defeated, but she had, thanks to Kikyou. It was always Kikyou.

She tried not to, but she couldn't help compare herself to Kikyou. Kikyou, who was so strong, so beautiful, who had died for Inuyasha. Kikyou who loved Inuyasha with all of her heart. Kikyou who could protect Inuyasha and heal his wounds. Kikyou, first in Inuyasha's heart forever.

She almost couldn't stand it. No matter how hard she tried she always felt as if she were merely a shade of the deceased Kikyou. She lacked all of Kikyou's qualities. She was completely unlike her past ego. She knew that Inuyasha loved Kikyou, and she knew that Kikyou would always come first. She had long since accepted it, but when she sat alone, unable to help in any way at all hurt more. Even if she could just be by his side…but even that was unnecessary, because he has Kikyou there.

She had seen the love in their eyes today, and she couldn't lie to herself any longer.

It was sickening how she always felt sorry for herself. Kagome had told herself the brutal truth on this day, when Kikyou and Inuyasha had stood together, looking so right. She had forced herself to say the words that hurt so much "He will never love me as much as he loves her." She had always known it on one level or another, but still, there had always been something. Although her love would always be unrequited, she had always thought that she could at least be by his side.

Or that's was what she had thought, until Kikyou had appeared once again today.

The rain was falling hard. Kagura had met her fate with Shesshoumaru's name on her lips. Kikyou had stood beside Inuyasha, declaring boldly a love for him that Kagome could never hope to compete with.

Kagome hated her for it…

…and…

…Kagome hated herself for her inability to say such things.

She had never been able to say such simple words as "I love you" to him. She had never been able to comfort him, all she had ever been able to do was provide a substitute for Kikyou. But she had already accepted that, she reprimanded herself, she had already admitted that she would never be loved by Inuyasha. Yet, it still hurt…

"Kagome."

Kagome turned to see Sango standing behind her with pity and understanding in her eyes. Such a look made Kagome want to scream. She didn't want any pity. Pity was useless. She wanted Inuyasha to come and tell her that she meant more to him that Kikyou, but she knew that he would not come, so she masked her pain and turned a false smile on her friend.

"Yes, Sango? Is there something that you needed?"

"Um, in a way, I was just worried about you, is all, with Kikyou in there with him and all, I just didn't know if you needed someone to talk to."

She smiled so pleasantly that Kagome wanted to hit her, but she managed to control the surge of anger.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I just don't feel like being in there at the moment." _With them and their undying, endless love._

Sango hesitated, "are you _sure_ Kagome?"

"Yes."

Despite her effort to restrain it, some of her anger leaked through. The word carried a curt tone of finality to it. It seemed to say _leave me alone_, and that was exactly what Kagome was trying to say. She needed to be left alone to think.

The sound of Sango's retreating footsteps comforted her little. She sat alone in the freezing rain thinking of all of the good times that she had shared with these people from the past. She closed her eyes and tried to find the strength to go on, but there was nothing.

_I don't understand any of this at all. I don't understand why he let me think…I don't understand how he could have said some of those things to me and then just…but he wasn't really saying such things to me, he was saying them to Kikyou. For this entire journey…he has been thinking of Kikyou, and not me._

Kagome felt her eyes fill up with tears and mercilessly pushed them back. What was this deep sense of longing. She wanted him to come with all her heart, and as she admitted this to herself the tears began to flow down her face in a torrent of salt-water. _All of this time I have been delusional…_

A sharp pain hit her in the heart, a physically manifestation of what she was feeling at the moment. The kind of loneliness….always before there had been Inuyasha, and when they were arguing there was Sango and Miroku, but she had pushed her friends away and she had lost Inuyasha…

_I thought…_

"Kagome, I trust you"

_Maybe…_

"You never were and never will be a replacement for Kikyou!"

_That you might…_

"I like your scent"

_…love me_

"I want you to be safe"

_I guess it was foolish of me to even think that a fairy tale like this would come true…but I still love you…and I can't just let it go_

_...And I don't want to let go…_

_But…_

_...There's no way that I could ever begin to compete with a love such as that..._

..And besides, she had seen the look in his eyes when she had asked where he had been…it was a look of contempt, lacking in all positive emotion. The way he had looked at her earlier had truly hurt. He couldn't even value her as a friend? Had he been using her all of this time?

Lightning crashed in the distance calling her out of her brooding. Annoyed, she stomped away from the tree, going deeper into the forest. She wandered aimlessly as the forest grew darker and darker, accumulating numerous small cuts all over her body. All alone in the forest. She cursed herself for her own foolishness. There could be youkai anywhere in the forest, but she thought that being slaughtered by youkai would be easier than meeting Kikyou and Inuyasha again.

She wandered longer and longer, trying to find solace in the darkness, lost, alone and hurt.

She didn't even notice when she became too tired to properly stand, she merely fell, completely fatigued, to the ground. She was in too deep a slumber to notice when the rain stopped. She didn't even notice when the Saimyoushou came and reported her to Naraku. She was also completely unaware of the fact that she was being watched by other forces. She merely slept.

* * *

Disclaimer: I think that it's pretty obvious now that I do not own Inuyasha. I am not Rumiko Takahashi, nor am I VIZ. But, if you want to be legal, I DO have an Inuyasha wall scroll, with Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru on it…(Jaken is there too…but I don't acknowledge that fact…)

Note: This was originally the first chapter, so I had to tweak it a bit for plot adjustments. If you notice a few spots that don't make sense, could someone tell me?


	6. Barriers and Dreams

_**Barriers and Dreams**_

The kazaana was getting wider.

Kagura had told him, but Miroku knew it instantly, as he sat alone in the dead of night far away from the camp, without being told. He always got extremely sick and began to shake badly. He hid such a weakness from all of his companions, much in the same manner that Inuyasha had tried to hide the secret of the new moon from them. Miroku did not want the other's sympathy, and he especially never wanted to see pity in _her_ eyes.

had been with many women during his short life. To him they had been a way to keep his mind off the inexorable death that was nestled in his had. They had kept his tired mind occupied when it could have turned towards darker things. He had never once considered a single one of them seriously, until he had met _her_.

She had not melted into his arms, and he respected that. She was as strong as he was, an no stranger to pain. During the long and tiresome journey they had undertaken he and slowly grown to understand her and love her.

_Sango._

It was something sacred to him, these feelings that he had discovered for her. More than anything he wanted to share his treasured feelings with her. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but there was no way that he ever could. It was all because of his damned kazaana, the kazaana which was getting wider.

He did not want Sango to pledge her heart to a dying man. He did not want her to grieve when he died. That was why he was always womanizing, always being a letch. He was trying to keep her at a distance, just as she, in turn, attempted to keep him away. However, in his innermost heart he had always believed that there might be a way to save himself. He had dreamt often of the day when Naraku would fall, dead at last, and release him from the curse that his family and companions so much grief.

Miroku was beginning to lost hope that such a day would ever come in time.

Already he could feel the kazaana widening, like a hungry monster, ready to devour him into it's inky depths. Such thoughts tormented him daily. The sickness was growing increasingly worse, and he was running out of time. Kagura had told as much, and Miroku knew it for fact. He had counted the days with grim resolve, determined not to look away and not to fear. He counted the days that had passed and subtracted them from the approximate amount of time Mushin had given him. Silently he totaled up the difference. Three months.

Dread forced itself up into his throat and he violently repressed it. There was no point in him pitying himself. He had only one choice, and that was kill or be killed. Slowly and calmly he inhaled and tried not to think to hard. He wanted to scream. He wanted to tell Sango he loved her. He wanted to kill Naraku. He did none of these things, he merely sat staring out into the darkness of the forest. The ominous phrase hung over him as he slowly drifted off into the darkness of sleep. Five days. He couldn't help but wonder if it would be like sleep when the kazaana devoured him entirely.

* * *

_Dreams were always darker than reality..._

_He stood on a cliff, facing east into the winds of mourning. At first Sango looked at him with her eternally sad eyes and Miroku did his best to smile back. She slowly walked towards him and moved to embrace him when Miroku felt the sickness take him again. He backed away but all she did was move forward and Miroku felt the kazaana grow and an alarming rate. Suddenly there was no feeling in the arm where he had just a second ago felt the burning pain of the growing kazaana. He looked on in horror as the kazaana ate up his existence like a ravenous beast, devouring himself, the landscape and Sango, her melancholy stare now accusing_.

* * *

Sango heard him all the way on the other side of the camp. She could hear his tortured gasps. She could almost sense his pain, and it hurt because she knew that there was nothing that she could do for him.

_Damn that Kazaana of his_, Sango thought angriliy, _damnt that hole in his hand that causes him so much pain. Damn the barriers that the kazaana puts between us_

She knew though, that it was more than just the kazaana that kept them apart. It had become subconcious, really, saying it...

_Houshi-sama_

Completely respectful and completely impersonal. Another barrier. No, indeed, it was not just the kazaana that kept them apart, but nor was it just that. They distanced each other in so many little ways. Miroku grouped women and Sango fretted about Kohaku. It was a dance where they both alternated between falling in love with one another and pushing one another away. It was a dance that Sango was beginning to hate.

_Every time I we try to get closer, things always interrupt. The kazaana, my shyness, his womanizing, and moreover..._

_...Kohaku..._

She had said it. That wind demon had said it. _He's coming to kill us_, Sango though grimly. _He's coming to kill me, he's coming to kill Miroku. He's coming to kill Inuyasha, Kagome, and even Shippou. If Naraku ordered him to do it, he would. He's going to take away every thing I love. I just found new people that I can care about, and they are going to be taken away from me as well, just like before..._

Sango had a scar on her back that would never heal. No matter how hard she had tried to leave it behind, that scar would never heal. She could still recall with frightening clarity the burning pain as Kohaku's chain-blade as it ripped into the skin of her back initially. She could still recall it as it tore muscle and sinew. However, the worst thing about the memory was not the clairity of the physical pain, it was the clairity of the mental pain. She could remember the burning sense of betrayal. She recalled how it had felt so surreal, as if it was not really happening. At the same time, she had known it in the very core of her being...That this was _real_.

She wasn't willing to give up yet, there was still a chance. There still might be some way for them to bring Kohaku back to life. There still might be some way for them to save his soul. She had to hope, she couldn't merely give in to Naraku's scheme and merely kill him. 

She couldn't give into Naraku's plot and sacrifice her brother for her own life

She could kill if it meant saving her friends.

If it meant saving _him_ she thought she could bring herself to do just about anything.

_Now that I think about it, it's kind of funny. I couldn't stand him for the longest time, but now, my life seems incomplete without him by my side, with his smiling, sad face. I don't know when it happened, but..._

..._I'm glad it did_

_Miroku..._

_Here in my thoughts I can say your name without fear that we might come to close together. Here in my thoughts I can say your name without fear of your rejection. You said that you wanted to keep me safe. How could you comdemn a woman to a life without the man she loves. We can't be together because you don't want to hurt me with you death, so we push each other away. I can't stand it. Sometimes I think that we can't let this chance pass us by. Isn't it better to love and lose than to never love at all?_

_Please let these barriers fall, please, let us one day live together._

_I want to be with him..._

_...not Houshi-sama..._

_...someday I want to call him by his name..._

_...Miroku_

* * *

_In dreams we can see parts of our soul that we would rather not see..._

_She stood at a crossroads. Indecision coursed though her veins like blood as she stared blankly at the two paths before her. One was dark and stained with blood. Along its path were dead youkai as well as her dead brother, Kohaku. His death had not been easy, his body was twisted into and odd shape. All across the path his entrails were strewn. Hi eyes had been gouged out. She stared at the disfigured corpse until she finally had the will to look up. Her eyes looked upward and she saw Miroku. He looked tired at fatigued, but _alive_, and that was enough for Sango._

_She looked down the other path, and saw, her village. It was still nothing but smoldering remains, butit was now spring and flowers grew everywhere, painting a joyous picture. Sango closed her eyes in denial, until she saw two fresh graves, one with her Hiraikotsu laid upon it, and the other with Kohaku's chain-blade. Above those grave stood, at first glance, her friends, all alive and well, albeit sorrowful. It was upon second glance that she notcied that Miroku was not there, and that Kagome clutched his staff with barely withheld tears in her eyes._

* * *

Disclaimer: I am so very sick of writing this, but INUYASHA IS NOT MINE!!!

Note: I suppose anyone readint this thought the entire story was about Kagome, right? Wrong. This also has alot about Miroku, Sango, ans Sesshoumaru (as well as Inuyasha and Kikyou) I just had alot of the first bit centering around Kagome, but we're not going to see her for a while...


	7. Catacombs of the Mind

_**Catacombs of the Mind**_

He didn't understand what had happened. He didn't understand. How come he was stuck here, immobile, unable to move. What had she done to him?

He was saying things that he didn't want to say, doing things that he didn't want to do. He was stuck in his mind, unable to move, as he watched himself say things. He watched himself he would never say, he watched himself do things that he would never do. He watched as Kagome ran into the night full of tears.

He remembered seeing her, seeing Kikyou. He remembered watching coming to here by that serene lake, his emotions overflowing. How come every time he looked at her his emotions started to overflow? He couldn't stop it, and somehow, he didn't really want to, but it left him exhausted and confused. He couldn't deny the fact that he loved her, but every time he looked at her he felt such a cacophony of emotions, not all of them love. Oh yes, love was there, but there was also so much more…

Pity. Pity played a large part. Pity for her twisted excuse for life, pity for everything that she had gone through. Somehow it seemed his fault. Pity.

Obligation. An obligation to her, because she had died for him, he was obliged to give her precedence over anything and everything. It was an obligation that made him put her before Kagome, before the Shikon no Tama, and before his quest of vengeance. Obligation.

Isolation. He felt isolated from her. She had changed in subtle ways that only he could notice. Eyes that had a coldness behind them that never was there before. That slight smile with a bitter edge to it. She had changed in many different ways. The gap between them had grown larger and larger until it felt as if they stood on opposite sides on an unbreachable chasm. It was not a feeling that he liked, but it was a feeling that was there. Isolation.

And finally…

Bitterness. He was bitter. Why did she have to die. She was bitter. She was wondering why as well. Both so bitter, both so very, very cold. It was a part of his feeling that he didn't like to acknowledge, but here, trapped in the gray limbo he had no choice but to be honest with himself. Bitterness.

Pity. Obligation. Isolation. Bitterness. Were these feelings part of love? Love was something that Inuyasha didn't largely understand. Kikyou had taught him a bit about it, Kagome more. But it was still and enigma to him. A hanyou growing up in life had a hard time understanding anything about love, for love was scarce. He knew about power, and he realized that love was a powerful thing. But, try as he might, he couldn't understand love.

What was it? Was it fickle? Was it eternal? He loved Kikyou, He loved Kagome. Could you love two people at once? How? Did it have any meaning when there were all of these other emotions mixed in? What was wrong with him?

_You don't have to think about it._

Who was that, what was that?

_It's me, I'm you_

No, you're not. You're not me. You're that thing. That thing that she put into me. You're not me

_I am though. You just don't realize it yet_

Darkness

And then…

Hands reaching out to grab him. Grab him and drag him down into the darkness. Hands with claws. Brutal hands that could tear him apart if he wasn't cautious. Hands, coming to lock him away. And that voice.

_Sleep, don't think_

_I'll do all of the thinking for you._

In the darkness he couldn't fight it, the hands were pulling him down, locking him away. However, in his last moments he whispered her name. The one that he loved unconditionally. The one that he would always love, even if he didn't realize it himself.

"Kagome."

* * *

Disclaimer: N.O.T. M.I.N.E.

Note: Sorry, everyone who reads my fic, but I just realized in the last chapter that there were a large amount of typos. The reason being that I typed it on notepad (I was doing html formatting which is evil), which doesn't have spell check, and I type fast, so I make a few mistakes when I type. I apologize. Gomen. 


	8. The Inner Heart

_**The Inner Heart**_

A feeling she could not quite comprehend. It lingered on the outskirts of her mind, an intangible memory. Something she had forgotten, and emotion she could barely remember. Guilt.

It wasn't enough to make her consciousness heavy. It was barely enough to remind her. Still, it was there, ever-fleeting. It sometimes was manifest when their eyes met. That's when it was strongest. When she looked into his blindly adoring eyes. There was not internal struggle. There was no confusion. Only love. And that made the guilt weight more heavily.

_Something I had always loved about him was his sincerity. Something that I had always loved about him was his honesty. I have taken that away with my own tow hands. I have forced him to lie not only to me, but to himself as well._

Second guessing herself and guilt. Feeling form her living existence revived once again in this shell of a body mad of earth and bones. It was strange. Here we was, caught, unwilling to die, unable to live and move on. Her only feeling should be the bitter hatred that she had dies knowing. A bitter hatred, the opposite side of the coin of love that they had once shared together.

Or was it the opposite?

At any rate, it had been a fatal mistake.

But now there were only those remnants of hate. The faint feeling of guilt and overwhelming jealousy and loneliness.

_I shouldn't be doing this,_ she chided herself mentally, _there is no reason for this. By doing actions, by committing these crimes, by playing with peoples hearts like this I prove that I am no better than Naraku. This is…this is making me hate myself._

_but..._

_It was so lonely there. It was strange and unreal, and all I could think of was him. But I didn't want to come back, and now I have. I don't want to be lonely again. Not now, and not now that I'm here with him again. I had forgotten how to fell. If you're going to force me to feel again, then don't let me be lonely. Please, don't let me be lonely!_

It was a silent plea sent out into the empty night sky. It was a result of her wavering resolve. Her fear. The fear of her loneliness. She couldn't do it again. The love wasn't there any longer, but just as she had thought, she couldn't bring herself to give him to her. To the woman who looked so much like her. To the woman to had all that she ever wanted. She couldn't let herself do it. But…still…

_Still it was there. That little bit of guilt._

_I'm still slightly insecure. I know what I'm doing is wrong._

_Indeed it's still there, and it's eating me away inside…_

_little by little…_

The resolve began to waver. Ina single instant she was willing to remove the curse. If his empty eyes had looked her just then, she could have lost all control. She would have broken down and wept, then fallen into the abyss of hell alone. But he didn't. he kept his faze averted, and Kikyou allowed jealousy to swallow her once again.

Is was so much easier than thinking

* * *

An almost ominous cloud hung around not only his abode, but his being as well. Slowly but surely it had been growing. A steady thing called "lust" had been growing inside the vestiges of his heart, cause him to become reckless. Kagura's death had been a result of his recklessness. She had still be useful. A pity. And ironic as well. An irony that he failed to see.

It hardly bothered him. It _had_ been a pity, but it was a trifling pity. It was the same kind of pity he would feel if one of his Saimyoushou had gotten sucked into that annoying houshi's kazaana. She had been a pawn. Merely a pawn, with no more value than that. She would always have been a pawn too, much like the boy kneeling before him. Only a pawn. However, a powerful pawn that could be used against enemies. With a slight smile he gave the animated corpse the cruel task. He had asked once if the boy could kill them. He had responded with a "yes". Naraku still did not doubt the verity of his reply.

Humans were amusing in the fact that they were continuously unwilling to harm their kin, no matter how many times their kin tried to harm _them_, he thought with and amused smirk .

His amused smirk transformed into a cruel and sadistic smile as he watched the boy go. Reckless yes, but well worth it.

* * *

Not quite sure what to think, the animated corpse walked silently through the forest. There was a shadow of doubt in his mind. He didn't know what to do anymore. He didn't really want to do this any more…

Still…

There were always those frightening shadows that threatened to attack him if he was not cautious. The shadows of memories…

"Aneue…"

A word whispered into the night as he began to prepare for the grim task before him.

* * *

Well, I'm sorry it took so long to post this. Anyway, I'm going to beg shamelessly and say…Please read. Please review. Even flames. I just want feedback!

Thank you to all of you who reviewed so far!


	9. Lies told as Truth

**_Lies told as Truth_**

Miroku was grouchy. He had hardly slept last night due to the image of Sago's accusing eyes which had plagued him throughout the night. Her gaze seemed to be etched into his mind. He had spent the rest of the night awake, staring blankly at the hand which the kazaana was beginning to devour. _Amazing,_ he thought_, absolutely amazing. In three months this little hole in my hand will devour my entire body as well as anything else near it._ The words hung over him like a grim death-sentence. Three months left to live. Three months left to get away from the others.

He trudged along mindlessly, ignoring the blistering, humid heat of the thick forest. He tried to push his grim thoughts to the back of his mind, but such an effort was futile. He tried to forget it, tried to ignore it, but the brutal truth was obstinate and refused to be purged. He faced the fact that he could not avoid. He was _dying_.

He knew it very well, and it weighed deeply on his soul.

"Hey, Miroku, what's wrong with you?" Inuyasha said as he came up and gave him a hearty pat on the back that sent the monk sprawling, one arm still wrapped around Kikyou's waist.

"I _was_ fine." Miroku said indignantly as he got up and brushed off his robes. "I was perfectly fine until you hit me on the back and sent me flying into the ground." 

"Geeze Inuyasha," admonished Shippou as he popped up on Inuyasha's shoulder. "you're such and insensitive jerk. First you make Kagome all angry and _then_ you hurt poor Miroku. What's _wrong_ with you?"

Inuyasha glared daggers at him. "Nothing is _wrong_ with me. I was just wondering why Miroku was brooding like that. Usually you'd expect him to be grouping the nearest female he could find. And, what's the deal with Kagome? I didn't to a thing to her. Her only purpose was a shard detector, and now we don't need her! I mean, we have _Kikyou_ now."

Miroku noticed the slight wince the miko walking by his side gave at that. He also noticed how she whispered something into Inuyasha's ear, going off into the forest. There was an uncomfortable silence while Miroku gave him a flat look. Kagome had never come back after that night. She had never returned to the camp, and Miroku couldn't blame her. They had tried to tell Inuyasha. They had tried to get him to look for her, but he had not cared. All he had done was hold Kikyou with a fierce determination never to let go of her, and insist that Kagome was merely a shard detector and useless anyway. Miroku was beginning to have suspicions. Kikyou seemed to give off an air of guilt, and Miroku _knew_ that Inuyasha's feelings for Kagome ran deeper than that. Something was very wrong. And now Kagome was gone.

Of course, he had caused the whole thing by not only holding as well as kissing Kikyou passionately, but doing it in front of Kagome no less, and after Kagome had been so worried about him too.

Miroku sighed in annoyance. He would never treat Sango like that. He might flit and groupe women but he would never tell another women he loved her in front of Sango. He would never hurt her as deeply as that. Inuyasha was a whole different story entirely. _The way he treated Kagome last night made me sick_.

Inuyasha pouted. "Hey, it's not my fault that she left. She always overreacts to stuff like that, she needs to calm down a bit. And anyway, like I said, it's not that big of a deal!"

_That_ did it. "Maybe if you weren't such an indecisive asshole she wouldn't leave us like that." Miroku retorted caustically. "You should stop lying to yourself about it. _You're_ the one who continually hurts her. Wouldn't it hurt you if she were always kissing Koga? You get jealous if he so much as speaks to her. You love Kagome, right? Maybe you should show it for once instead of pretending not to care. You make me want to hurl!"

Inuyasha's jaw dropped at Miroku's tirade. "HEY! YOU CAN'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT! WHO ARE YOU TO TALK! YOU GROUPE WOMEN ALL OF THE TIME! AND ANYWAY, IT'S NOT LIKE KAGOME _MATTERS_! ALL SHE IS IS A SHARD DETECTOR!" 

Miroku's fiery stare grew cold. "Yeah, I suppose I _do_ Inuyasha, but I do it for a reason. There's someone I love and I would do anything for her, and what I do women is my own affair, and I do it for my own reasons." Miroku's cold stare grew even icier. "However, I would never tell another women I love her right in front of her eyes. I am not a disgusting pig like you. And, Inuyasha, Kagome may only be a shard detector to _you_ but to the rest of us she is not only a human being but a friend we love and respect. Remember that."

Then, on a complete emotional overload, Miroku swung his arm around and slammed it into Inuyasha's stomach which sent him flying backwards into a tree. He left a bewildered Inuyasha exchanging glances with and equally bewildered Shippou. "Did _you_ know he could do that?" Shippou asked with wide eyes.

Inuyasha glared at him. "No, I didn't, but you know what Shippou?"

Shippou looked at him with his innocent cuteness. He expected Inuyasha to say that Miroku had been right, because he had been, but then: "He was so wrong. He _was_ wrong. I don't love Kagome. She has no other value than a shard detector. I'm right, right?" He looked questioningly at Shippou.

Shippou looked at him with a blank expression. Then he suddenly transformed into a replica of Miroku, rammed his fist into the spot Miroku himself had just hit and then stomped off into the forest.

Inuyasha looked after him dumbly. "HEY, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR! DAMN IT, GET BACK HERE, THAT REALLY HURT. SHIPPOU? MIROKU? HEY, WHERE DID YOU GUYS GO!?!"

He heard a rustling in the bushes and turned his head to see Sango, who had been bathing in a nearby hot spring the entire time during their whole converstion. "Inuyasha, why are you making so much _noise_?" she inquired, holding a hand to her head in annoyance.

He blushed profusely. Sango had forgotten to get dressed. "um, Sango? You might want to…" he trailed off, at a loss for words.

Suddenly she noticed and turned a bright red. Then she noticed Inuyasha staring at her with big eyes. A vein in her forehead twitched as her hand clenched up into a fist. "WHY YOU…_PERVERT_!" She nailed him in the same spot that both Miroku and Shippou had hit earlier.

A few minutes later a very satisfied looking Sango met up with Miroku and Shippou. "Where's Inuyasha?" Shippou asked. "And Kikyou…" he added as an afterthought.

Sango smiled and Miroku shrugged. "Who cares? He can track us, and if not he'll find us in the next village, which is only a few hours away…Kikyou can come with him" Miroku smiled, "A village full of many beautiful, lush young maidens, all ripe for my…" Miroku's eyes grew wide as Sango kneed him in the groin…

"Are you _sure_ it's okay to leave him here Sango?" Shippou asked as they walked off towards the village.

"Yes Shippou, I'm sure he'll be fine."

* * *

Author's Note: Please read. Please review. I am beginning shamelessly here!


	10. Choices To Make

_**Choices To Make**_

Still slumped in a limp position with his back to the tree, he watched her retreating back with a smile on his face. Another day, another deed, another distance. Words had gone from force of habit to a chore. He said hurtful things to her, this he knew. He also knew that those hurtful words had cost him just has much. Why was fate so cruel?

Every word he had spoken had been deliberate. Every word chosen with a cold computation he was beginning to develop. Words had so many purposes, and one of them was to wound. That's what he was doing, wounding the one he loved, because, after all, the kazaana was getting wider.

He watched the sunset through the thick foliage, lost in introspection. He was beginning to weaken. Hurtful words that had come so easily to his lips before now had to be forced out. He hated it. He hated looking at her perpetually melancholy eyes. He wanted to see her smile. Hell, he wanted to take her in his arms and declare his undying love for her, but that was not an option. He didn't want her to hurt. He didn't want to see her cry. If she cried, he didn't know what he would do. When had this happened? When had their simple love invaded him, twining a vine of thorns around his already tender heart. When had he become infatuated with her? Her every breath was important to him, and the overwhelming wish for her to be happy. That's why he said those words that hurt her so much. He would rather die alone than see her cry. He would rather throw his life away recklessly than see tears in those eyes that were already so very sad. That's how much she meant to him. That's why they could never be together as long as he had this kazaana in his hand.

The trees began to sway gentle in the evening breeze and Miroku heard a rustling of leaves to his left. Quickly he got up from his drooping pose and prepared himself to attack. Adrenaline began to rush through his veins until he noticed some muffled words coming from the direction of the bush. Muffled words, yes, but in a feminine voice. Excitedly he jumped up and ran over to the bush, only to find one of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. A very beautiful, very _naked_ woman.

She looked up in surprise, and her dark eyes registered him with shock, but instead to screaming or making an attempt to hit him she merely blushed. "Um, houshi-sama, it seems as if my kimono is caught in this bush, might you assist me?"

Amazed at his good fortune, and swallowing his pride, he merely muttered, "o-of course." He reached down to untangle the richly embroidered kimono and their eyes met.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, until she uttered words he'd never thought he'd ever hear from a woman other than Sango.

"May I bear your children?

* * *

She resisted the urge to scream at Inuyasha. She was losing her composure. 

Every word Miroku had spoken to him she had heard. Ever word had seemed to pierce her heart. She had lost the stomach for this deed, this crime. She no longer had the desire to hold him in her control. If she could have, she would have released him. No matter how much she lied to herself, she realized, she still loved him.

It had been a gradual realization. Simple really. It had occurred the last time when had looked at her with those blindly adoring amber eyes. It had made her want to retch. She was sure, at that moment, that she did not want to see him as he was anymore. She would have preferred to see him living happily in Kagome's life than to see him as nothing but a doll with her. It hurt. Slowly, it was coming back. Hurt, love, forgiveness. She wasn't sure why, but it was coming back. She wanted him to be happy, but now the spell was irreversible.

Well, _almost_ irreversible.

She looked at the knife in a kind of sick curiosity. _It's the only way_, she thought, glancing at the razor sharp blade. _It was my fault, and I should pay for the consequences. I should end it here, and give him his freedom. I should._

_How many times am I going to die for this hanyou, for this love?_

_As many times as necessary._ She thought wryly.

She brought the knife forward, dead center on her heart, without any hesitation at all and a grim smile on her face.

* * *

Sitting in the village with Shippou and Kirara curled up next to her Sango was having a hard time thinking. 

Thoughts ran rampant and unchecked, driving her to confusion. Slowly she organized them. Three thoughts.

_Kohaku_

That's what Kagura had said. Kohaku was coming. Kohaku was coming to kill them. Kohaku was coming to end it all, at last. It was now, without the ever-simple sounds of Miroku being near that it hit her. He really was coming.

The thought that Kagura was lying had never occurred to her. She knew, in her very bones, that it was the truth. She hadn't wanted to admit it, but it was the truth. The air seemed to hang with an ominous foreboding. She looked at the sleeping pair, curled up and content.

No, she knew she couldn't do it.

She couldn't stay there and them see her die at his hands, at Kohaku's hands.

She recalled the resolution she had made the night before. Anything for Miroku, but…but…there was something strange inside her, telling her to go, telling her to die.

Indecision consumed her.

* * *

Faded memories tugged at his ragged consciousness. He knew that she was coming. He knew it. He knew it so well, it made him want to run away in fear. She unnerved him, made him self conscious. She brought back ghosts of memories he would rather forget. A woman with sad eyes and an unsmiling face that held him close and called him something familiar. 

Aneue…

Memories, he wanted to remember, and yet he didn't want to. He stood in the middle of the forest, filled with doubt.

He hated feeling lost.

* * *

He looked dispassionately at her mangled corpse. Mangled, almost beyond recognition. It had been pathetic, really. He had expected her to be stronger than that. 

_Kagura, you always were a disappointment,_ Naraku thought with a twisted grimace.

The cold stones of this castle whispered grim songs beneath his bare feet as he paced back and forth before her distorted preserved corpse. It was almost time.

It could be time now. To act, or to wait?

* * *

She awoke from her sleep groggily. How long had it been? 

A pang hit her in her heart, so hard that she wanted to fall down on the ground and weep. So many things. Tears flooded to her eyes anew, the pain she felt was like a raw wound.

Still…

She gathered herself, and began to examine her surroundings. Her eyes widened as she noticed something familiar.

The old well, which held so many memories, both pleasant and sad.

She went over and sat on it's aged rim.

_There will be no more pleasant memories for me here,_ she thought grimly. _I might as well go back_

She cast a miserable glance at the bottome of the well.

_I might as well go back…_

_…but…_

…_do I really _want_to_?

* * *

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine 

Reviews:

**Erste**: My faithful friend, you deserve to be mentioned. Thank you for reviewing my fics almost religiously and for giving me encouragement! I'm hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

**Ixion Goddess**: You deserve and award for all of the positive feed back. Well, here's at least quasi what happened to Kagome. It all may or may not work out in the end. I must admit, though, that Naraku's lust is rather one-sided, erm, well, you'll see (shh, it's a surprise!) Thank you so much, though!

Author's Note: So, I tried to make it suspenseful. Did I succeed? I hope so. Anyway, the next chapter is written, so I'll be posting it very soon. The plot may be going an unpleasant direction. Let's just say that the pairings are pretty much canon. I've got the whole thing planned out. Please read and review, you have no idea how much I appreciate it.


	11. Separate Ways

**_Separate Ways_**

His gaze never faltered, even though thoughts rushed hurriedly through his head  
  
He thought of his ominous dream, and of her melancholy stare. He could never let her die. Knowing it would hurt her, but knowing that she would live, he gentle helped the woman up.  
  
"I would be honored if you would allow me to give you children."

* * *

The knife stopped a bare quarter inch from her heart as the whisper took over her entire body.  
  
The disgusting part of herself.  
  
Kikyou couldn't do anything to stop it. She could barely hold onto her soul. It was ripping her apart. It made her want to scream, because she knew who was taking control of her body.  
  
Even as her face smiled sadistically, her mind seethed hatred. Naraku.

* * *

Spur of the moment, and completely impulsive, Sango made her decision.  
  
In dreams two paths had stood before her, the right one bloody and littered with corpses, the other, the left one peaceful yet full of so much sadness. Dexter and Sinister, both stood before her. Left and right. In her mind she saw it. Death, sinister and cruel. In a sudden decision she gathered her things and left Shippou and Kirara in peace. Her feet now were treading a sinister path, the sinister path, the left path.

* * *

His hands tightened on the familiar weapon, already stained with so much blood.  
  
The painful ghosts of aching memories were pushed away.  
  
He was coming.

* * *

To act, he decided.  
  
A good thing, too, because the waiting was beginning to bore him.

* * *

_Do I really _want _to_?  
  
_No, I don't want to leave_.  
  
A grim smile touched her lips. _I don't want to, but I know what's best for myself. I need to go away, far away, and not come back of a long time_.  
  
Decidedly she swung her legs over the edge of the weathered well.

* * *

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine.

Author's Note: I just wanted to say that this chapter is short for a reason, and that the characters are written in the same order as in the last chapter. I'm trying to make a transition here. When I wrote this I felt the worst for Kikyou. She's such a wonderfully complex character when it comes down to it. Anyway, don't kill me for the way it's headed. Warning, though, it's going to get angsty.


	12. A Woman Scorned

**_A Woman Scorned_**  
  
She lead him in a seductive dance, at first promising pleasure and then denying him her soothing touch. It was almost more that he could bear. Pain and pleasure twined into one. More pain than pleasure, though.  
  
Every time he looked into her face he saw her. Sango. He didn't see the woman, whatever her name was. He only saw Sango. He only touched Sango. He only kissed Sango. It was the same with every one he pursued. To him, in every face, he saw Sango.  
  
A distant part of his mind, still unconsumed by lust, cried out for her. That distant, rational part of his mind could see her anguish quite clearly. A part of him knew that she would suffer, and understood, also, that he did it all for her.  
  
_I want her to forget about me_, he thought as he gentle caressed the other, nameless, woman. _I want her to hate me, because that way she won't have to suffer when I die_.  
  
It made him want to retch. The only person he really wanted to bear his children was her. His Sango.  
  
The woman, who had been content with his caresses, apparently wasn't content any more. In the middle of that forest clearing she held him down, forcing her mouth on his. That's when he got his first look at her pointed teeth.  
  
The pointed teeth common in many youkai across Japan.  
  
That should have been an alert in his head that something was wrong, but it wasn't. He let her continue, his mind consumed with Sango.  
  
That's when he felt her sharp nails, no, claws, stroking his chest.  
  
Then they were no longer stroking, but instead digging into his chest, searching for his heart. The haze cleared from his mind and the distant, logical part of him made the connection with the rest.  
  
This was a female youkai doing her best to kill him.  
  
"What the hell are you doing to me?" He had tried to sound calm, but those nails, moving through his chest sinuously didn't do much to help. The sound came out rather panicked and ragged, but at that moment it didn't matter. He needed to live. That was the only thing that was important.  
  
"I don't want to bear the children of a man whose heart is set on another woman. Never make love to an empath if you are going to think of another. Every second we have spent together, your mind has dwelt on her. That twit you call 'Sango'! You only see her. To me I am nothing but a means to protect her."  
  
He appeared taken aback. "Why do you care? Don't tell me you weren't going to kill me after we were done? You're a youkai."  
  
She looked at him, genuinely hurt. "You don't understand at all. I've watched you, from afar, for so many years. So many years that it's hurt. At first I was intrigued, but then, more and more I learned something that is foreign to most youkai. I learned this thing called 'love'. I thought, maybe, I could help you forget about her, about everything. I though that you might..." her face faltered, and then took on an envious and frightening cast. "I doesn't matter in the slightest anymore, though. Never scorn the affections of a dangerous woman. You'll have to pay the price, and the price is death."  
  
He barely dodged her attack. He other arm was still in his chest, fingers searching for his beating heart. Carefully, he worked the binding off of his kazaana. Everything was done with care. She could kill him easily, if he wasn't cautious. He was sweating heavily now, unsure of what would happen next, unsure of her next move, but anticipating it with a terrible sureness. He didn't want to die just yet. He really didn't want to die.  
  
Minutes crawled by like hours as he writhed his hand out of the rosary that bound his greatest weapon. Minutes crawled by like hours as she writhed her hands inside his chest, searching, _searching_ for his heart. Blood and sweat filled their senses, each of them frantic with the urge to live, or to kill.  
  
Finally the rosary fell off. For an instant time stood still, and then...  
  
Accusing eyes similar to the eyes of Sango in that dream glared at him in a look of both terror and hatred as she was sucked into the oblivion of his kazaana. He fell back against the tree wearily and closed his eyes. Coated in his own blood, Miroku feel asleep in the almost-silent forest, a tender breeze running ethereal fingers through his dark hair.

* * *

Authors Note: I love the Miroku/Sango pairing, but I though this might be an interesting twist. If anyone is wondering they **did not** have sex. I couldn't do that to one of my favorite pairings! Anyway, at long last I give another chapter.  
  
Reviews:  
  
**Purples Roses**: Aww, I'm sorry it's confusing. I knew it would be. This is the first fic that I've ever written, so I'm sort of experimenting with it, I'll work on some clarifications. Thanks for the review!  
  
**Schwartze**: Here is a Miroku chapter, but please don't hate me for it. All in good fun, y'know...err...(runs away)  
  
**Twilight Sky**: (big eyes) Thank you so much. I think that's one of the nicest reviews that I have ever gotten! It's sort of funny. I used to despise Kikyou and now she's one of my favorite characters. In fact, I really hated her at the beginning of this fic and now...well...I feel bad about some things that I wrote for her, but it will all work out...maybe...I always felt bad for Kagome and some of the stuff she has to go through. I really love writing Miroku stuff, and I thought he deserved to get some moments with fears. I tried to make their fears realistic and not stupid. I'm really glad you liked it! (glomps) 


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